Slot closure



May V17, 1932- 021A. COLBY 11,858,434

dw cLosURE Filed Marony 1s, 1951 f BY .Z7 5. 4 ATTRNEY Patented May 17, 1932 l .UNITED i STATES ORA A. COIJBY, rOF MANSFIELD, OHIO, ASSIGNOR T WESTINGHOUSE ELECTRIC & A FACTURING COMPANY, A CORPORATION OIF PENNSYLVANIA PATE snor cLosURE Application inedl March 1s, 1931. serial No. 523,501.

My invention relates to horizontal-chamber heat-treating furnaces of the endless overhead conveyor type and particularly to means for sealing the top slots .of such fur- An object ofmy invention is to provide a relatively simple, compact and efficient slotclosure means for the top slot of a horizontal-chamber furnace.

is In practicing my invention, AI provide, 1n combination with a furnace having a slot in the roof-wall, extending longitudinally thereof, a material-supporting means which is articulated but substantially continuous and is 1E engaged, at each side thereof, by stationary tubular members yieldingly pressed into light and operative engagement therewith and resting on a portion of the roof-wall of the furnace.

3u In the single sheet of drawings,

Figure 1 is a view, in vertical lateral section, through a. horizontal-chamber furnace with which is associated the device embodying my invention,

Fig. 2 is a view, in side elevation, of a material-conveyor,

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary view of the conduit structure embodying my invention, and Fig. 4 is a view, in end elevation, thereof. '3M Referring more particularly to Fig. 1 of the drawings, I have there illustrated an elongated furnace structure 11, located on a concrete base 12 and embodying a floor 13, side walls 14 and 16 and roof-wall portions 313 17 and 18, which Walls cooperate to enclose a furnace chamber 19. The roof-wall portions 17 and 18 are so located as to leave a slot 21 which extends longitudinally through the entire length of the furnace structure.

A bracing and supporting skeleton-frame structure includes a plurality of spaced vertical structural steel members 22 and 23 and top cross braces 24 which may be secured together in any suitable or desired manner and Si are eifctive to brace the refractory furnace walls hereinbefore mentioned and also sup-v port a material-conveying means to be hereinafter described.

I have illustrated the furnace structure U and the skeleton-frame structure generally only, as these elements constitute no part of my present invention, and only such details Mannthereof have been shown generally as are v necessary for an understanding of the de-V` vice which particularly constitutes my invention andl which will hereinafter be described.

An endless flexible conveyor chain 26 is supported by a plurality of carriages 27 which move on a track comprising angle-bar Y rails 28 and 29 supported by an auxiliary portion of the skeleton-frame structure hereinbefore described. Material-supporting rods 31 are secured to the chain 26 and ldepend therefrom to move in and through the f slot 21, cross bars 31, supported thereby,

vhaving hooks 32 to directlysu'pport material to be heat-treated. l

A substantially continuous, but iiexible,

structure is provided to cooperate with the 1- material-supporting rods 31 by the use of.

horizontally-extending plates 33 of the same thickness as the rods 31 and pivotally mounted thereon, asy by `pins 34 extending into the plates 33, the pins 34 being supported by laterally extending lugs ,36V on the rods 31.

The roof-wall portions 17 and 18 are provided with members` 37 and 38 which are of substantially angle-bar shapein lateral section andare secured to the roof-wall portions attheir upper opposing edges, as shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings. Each of the members 37 and 38, which may be' of any length and may be located in abutting end-to-end relation, is provided with an arcuate-inner surface 39 in which is located a jointed tube comprising lengths 41 of thin-wall pipe having interfitting relation one with another, as shown in Fig. 3 of the drawings. I prefer to make the tubes 41 of relatively light sheet metal,

such as is exemplified by a stove pipe, and to make the shape of the arcuate surface 39 such thatl the tubes will be yieldingly urged by gravity against the faces of the plates33.

Inorder to prevent longitudinal movement of the tubes 41, I provide some of the pieces with openings 42, a plurality of which, say four or six, are located in each of certain lengths of the pipe. Pins 43 are located in the members 37 and 38 to extend into corresponding openings 42, the pins 43 fitting loosely in the openings, whereby longitudinal movement of the tubes is eectively prevented. IVhen any one portion of a tube, which has been in operative engagement with the moving portion of the conveyor chain, has become worn to an excessive extent, it is only necessary to raise the worn section-of tube upwardly and then turn it through a distance equal to the peripheral distance etween two openings 42, whereby Aa new wearing'surface will be presented for enga-gement with members 33. Y

It is obvious that it is necessary to `supply slot-closure means over the furnace structure itself only and that no such closure means is necessary at the other portions of the endless conveyor chain 26 `as are necessary 1n yorder to return it to the other end of the furnace structure. If, however it becomes necessary to seal a slot 2l of .horizontally arcuate shape, that is, one in which it is desired to seal the slot while the chain is travelling through a route of arcuate shape, it is only necessary to provide members 37 and 38 of arcuate shape and tubes all also of cooperating arcuate shape to provide the same general slot-closing effect.

AThe device embodying k-my invention thus provides a relatively simple, easily installed, efiicient and inexpensive means for closing the slot inthe roof-wall ofthe horizontal-chamber heat-treating furnace. j

Various' modifications may be made-in my invention Without departing from the spirit and scope thereof, and I desire, therefore, that only such limitations shall be placed thereon as are imposed by the prior -art or ar-eset forth in the appended claims.V

I claim as my invention:

1. In a horizontal-chamber, heat-treating furnace having a horizontal slot in its roof Wall, an endless conveyor chain moving above the slot and having material-'supporting rods depending therefrom and into the slot, and a slot-closure means comprising filler plates extending between the materialsupporting rods and carried thereby, a tubular structure at each side 'of the rods and filler plates extending parallel with the slot, means on the roof Wall adjacent to the slot Ynal movement thereof.

the slot and having material-supporting rods depending therefrom and into the slot, and slot-closure means comprising filler plates extending between the Ymaterial-supporting rods and carried thereby, a tubular structure ateach side of the rods and filler plates extending parallel With the slot, means on vthe roof Wall adjacent Vto the slot for supporting the tubular structures in light operative engagement with the respective sides ofthe ller plates and means on the supporting means cooperating With the .respective tubular. structures to .hold them in predetermined and adjustable peripheral positionsl on the supporting means and to prevent longitudi- In testimony whereof, I have hereunto .subscribed my name this Qth'day of March, 1931.

. ORA A. GOLBY.

for supporting the tubular structures in light A- operative engagement With the respective sides of the filler plates and means on said supporting means cooperating with the tubular structures to prevent longitudinal move- Y ment thereof.

2. In a horizontal-chamber, heat-treating furnace having a horizontal slot in its roof Wall, an endless conveyor chain moving above the slot and having material-supporting rods depending therefrom and into the slot, and a slot-closure means comprising filler plates extending between the material-supporting rods and carried thereby, avtubular'structure at each side' of the rods and filler plates 

